Insulation Under Concrete Floor Slab

Insulating a concrete floor can save you money on your heating bill making an attached garage or basement warmer and by extension the rest of your house.

Insulation under concrete floor slab.

The codes are silent about whether above grade slabs need to be insulated. Insulation below the slab suits continuous low level heating gradually warming the thermal mass of the concrete and sustaining it at a consistent temperature. For installation on concrete foundations and under floor slabs the rigid foam insulation you choose can make a difference of tens of thousands of dollars on a project. Installing insulation prior to the pouring of a concrete slab floor improves the energy efficiency of the floor and makes it more comfortable.

Below grade need vertical insulation at the slab perimeter. Get free shipping on qualified under slab foam board insulation or buy online pick up in store today in the building materials department. The reflectix concrete slab insulation is an innovative easy to handle product that increases the energy efficiency of radiant floor and snow melt systems under concrete. The f factors for slab on grade floors are defined in standard 90 1.

While you can apply insulation over the concrete slab that requires adding wood subflooring and other components that add to the cost and complexity of the project. A careful evaluation of these materials performance attributes against the project s needs can dramatically shrink labor and material costs. Consult appendix a table a6 3 1 in the 2016 edition for a tabulation of assembly f factors for slab on grade floors based on the arrangement and rated r value of the applied insulation. Cement 3 concrete 4 existing drywall 2 plywood 5 wood 3 sheathing type.

Floor 1 garage 3 under slab 5 more ways to filter. Eps 3 xps 2 faced or unfaced. In addition to offering insulation and energy savings the plywood subfloor described here can provide the perfect foundation for finish flooring such as carpeting adding warmth in look as. Otherwise both codes require that slab on grade floors with a floor surface less than 12 in.

These codes do not require any insulation for slabs that are more than 12 in. The first thing to consider when looking into different types of concrete floors is why it s so important to insulate the floor slab. Up to 80 of heat loss in a floor slab occurs around the edges. These f factors are acceptable for all slab on grade floors but you need to make sure.